The sudden turn of events left everyone present completely disoriented, and Wu Yuanjia, seeing the shift in circumstances, slowly eased the grip he had on Deng Qingjun's neck, opting instead to observe.

Those soldiers were highly trained; they recovered swiftly, raising their weapons to scan for the unseen assailant.

Meanwhile, the commander bellowed into the loudspeaker, "Who goes there? How dare you attack our 3348 Unit! Don't you know that assaulting a national force is tantamount to treason?"

A cold snort echoed from the sky, followed by a flash of white light that intercepted Wu Yuanjia. With a sharp clang, the light deflected a 12.7mm sniper round. The bullet's head deformed, its kinetic energy spent, and it dropped harmlessly to the ground. Another beam of white light shot into the treeline, immediately followed by a muffled grunt. A camouflaged sniper tumbled from a tree, both arms severed; blood poured freely from the wounds, yet the man gritted his teeth, refusing to utter a sound.

"Who is it? Just who is opposing us?" the voice in the loudspeaker roared in fury.

Suddenly, a soldier atop a nearby armored personnel carrier shouted, "It's Black Hero! I saw Black Hero!"

The surrounding troops gasped, instantly following the soldier's pointed direction. There, perched on the tip of a pine tree, stood a figure wearing a black hat, a black eye mask, and a black cloak trailing behind him—it was the legendary Black Hero. He held a massive white greatsword, standing sentinel over the treetops, his gaze coolly assessing the unfolding situation below.

Another soldier questioned, "Isn't Black Hero supposed to represent justice? Why would he attack us?"

Wu Yuanjia was overjoyed by Black Hero's sudden arrival. Though he didn't know Black Hero's true identity or why he appeared here, he knew Black Hero had previously intervened forcefully on behalf of Star Sky Group during the incident where Shaolin monks blockaded the entrance, severely injuring those monks. This demonstrated Black Hero's tendency to defend Star Sky Group. Now, with Wu Yuanjia cornered, Black Hero had appeared and, upon arrival, had already neutralized an attack helicopter and a sniper. It was clear Black Hero was on his side, and with his aid, escape might be possible.

The commander was stunned that Black Hero, a figure held in high esteem by the people of Hong Kong, would appear here and strike with such devastating force, eliminating one of his attack helicopters and an elite sniper. After a moment's hesitation, he shouted, "Black Hero, you are trespassing on a military exercise zone. For the preservation of national military secrets, surrender immediately."

Black Hero ignored the warning. He flipped the greatsword in his hand, sending a wave of white sword energy into the encirclement below. This energy enveloped both Wu Yuanjia and Deng Qingjun, lifting them into the air. With a gesture, Black Hero propelled them swiftly out of the perimeter, dropping them safely near the main gate of the Star Sky Group building. Wu Yuanjia scrambled up, grabbed Deng Qingjun, and they fled inside.

Seeing the prize slip away, the commander erupted in fury and barked the order: "Open fire at maximum capacity! Eliminate Black Hero!"

With authorization granted, the two armed helicopters in the sky locked onto Black Hero and unleashed their full complement of airborne weaponry, showering him with a tempest of ordnance. On the ground, the five Type 99 tanks pivoted their massive barrels toward him and fired. The heavy machine guns on the armored carriers hammered away, and the nearby soldiers opened up with all their light and heavy weaponry.

What confused the soldiers was that every shot seemed to strike Black Hero, yet no wounds appeared where they expected them. In the midst of the barrage, Black Hero's silhouette began to fade, then vanish, looking less like a man shot dead and more like an illusion dissolving.

The commander quickly regained his composure. "That wasn't Black Hero! That was an afterimage! He's too fast, we didn't even notice him leave. He's gone now. Everyone, be extremely cautious!"

As a cold snort sounded from above, Black Hero abruptly materialized on another large tree. He tossed his white greatsword into the air; it spun rapidly, then shot out two arcs of white sword energy. These arcs struck the two attack helicopters with perfect precision. The helicopters erupted in tremendous explosions, falling to earth as massive fireballs, killing several unfortunate soldiers nearby.

Before the ground troops could recover from their shock, the greatsword in the sky launched two more white sword energies. These struck two Type 99 tanks on the ground, which instantly detonated in violent blasts.

The remaining soldiers and three Type 99 tanks continued to fire on Black Hero. Just as their weapons were about to hit him, Black Hero flickered and vanished, reappearing on yet another tree. The white greatsword, still circling overhead, split again, sending two beams of energy to destroy two more tanks.

Seeing the catastrophic losses, the commander exploded in rage. "Kill him! Hurry up and kill him!"

The soldiers resumed firing at Black Hero's phantom locations, but he disappeared once more. This time, he appeared in a different direction, summoned another sword energy from the rotating blade to shatter the final Type 99 tank. Then, Black Hero settled on a tree directly in front of the soldiers, no longer evading. His body swayed gently with the tree's natural movement.

Seeing that Black Hero was no longer moving, the soldiers unleashed a torrent of ammunition. However, the white greatsword in Black Hero's hand proved infinitely marvelous. It suddenly expanded, standing upright before him to block every incoming projectile.

With the heavy weaponry—the helicopters and tanks—obliterated, the light arms of the infantry were utterly useless against Black Hero; even the heavy machine guns could not penetrate his defense.

One soldier stealthily armed a surface-to-air missile. He aimed and fired. The missile, its tail spitting white smoke, streaked toward Black Hero. With a single point of his finger, Black Hero sent a blade of energy outward, intercepting the missile mid-air. The missile detonated violently, and the resulting shockwave knocked all nearby soldiers flat onto the ground.

A look of disdain crossed Black Hero's face; these soldiers' attacks were far too weak to challenge him. Suddenly, however, his expression changed, replaced by a grave seriousness. He pointed his finger again, and over a dozen streams of sword energy flew from the greatsword, destroying all the parked armored personnel carriers. Then, he raised his right hand. All the weapons held by the soldiers detached from their grips, floating up into the air. Black Hero clenched his right hand into a fist and squeezed inward. The suspended weapons immediately compressed, swirling inward under immense pressure until they merged into one colossal iron sphere. Black Hero released his grip, and the massive iron ball dropped thump in front of the stunned soldiers.

The soldiers stood dumbfounded, the commander included. They had never imagined Black Hero was so powerful—not only had he destroyed their heavy arsenal but he had effortlessly dismantled their light arms as well. Black Hero was immune to conventional weapons, and now that they were disarmed, they were toothless tigers, posing no threat.

Black Hero cast one last look at the commander, and a beam of light shot from his eyes, striking the commander's own. Then, Black Hero leaped and vanished from sight. The commander remained standing motionless, unable to issue any commands.

"Commander, Commander?" a nearby soldier called out when his leader stood paralyzed for so long.

"Ah—what? What is it?" The commander snapped awake, a flicker of terror in his eyes, sweat pouring down him. In that beam of light, Black Hero had issued a warning: if they did not leave this place, he would eliminate them all without hesitation. Recalling the display of divine power moments before, where his elite forces were wiped out with a mere flick of the wrist, the commander understood that destroying them now would be effortless.

"Leave! Leave this place quickly! We must not linger here!" The commander finally came to his senses and issued the retreat order. Even facing disciplinary action later, he refused to remain in this place. Tonight’s encounter had utterly shattered his established understanding of power structures.

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～ Yan Hongyu was still accompanied by two elders, who flanked her as they advanced. Ahead of them, more than thirty so-called martial artists were scaling the high outer wall of the Star Sky Group compound.

This operation had been organized by the Lu Family of Shuzhou. The Lu Family had not only secured the participation of Yan Hongyu from the Yan Family but had also recruited a large contingent of so-called martial arts experts. Their mission today was to infiltrate the Star Sky Group's Scientific Research Institute and extract sufficient research data and experimental materials.

In truth, Yan Hongyu felt deeply conflicted. She had known about the Lu Family's plan for some time and had agreed to participate under her family's instruction. Yet, she wanted no part of it. She had a strong premonition that Black Hero had a profound connection with Star Sky Group, evidenced by his previous defense of the company against the Shaolin monks. If they attacked the research institute, Black Hero would certainly appear, forcing her into confrontation. Having developed an unexpected affection for Black Hero, she dreaded facing him on the opposing side. If the situation devolved to that point, how could she possibly respond?

Aside from Black Hero's demonstrated, terrifying strength—which she knew she currently could not match—it was the strange emotion she felt for him that made attacking him unthinkable. Fortunately, before they set out, the Lu Family assured them that they had their own means of dealing with Black Hero. Their task was simply to pose as bandits attacking the institute, secure as much research data and technology as possible, and consider the mission complete.

Yan Hongyu advanced with the martial artists into the Star Sky Group compound. They quickly noticed that the interior seemed to have undergone some massive upheaval. Only a handful of security personnel were conducting patrols; the majority were nowhere to be seen. The sudden absence of so many guards thrilled the martial artists, as it eliminated the mass confrontation they had anticipated, minimizing their potential casualties.

This group of martial artists was formidable, including several masters at the Xiantian Realm. The security guards, mostly at the peak of the Houtian Realm, were no match. The guards were swiftly subdued, unable even to sound an alarm.

The operation proceeded smoothly, yet Yan Hongyu felt a nagging sense of unease. She prevented the martial artists from killing the subdued guards, insisting they only be knocked unconscious. The martial artists, aware of Yan Hongyu's status and power, chose not to argue over such minor details. Thus, the guards were spared, albeit unconscious.

The group advanced quickly through the Star Sky Group property, making no detours into other rooms. Their target was explicitly the Scientific Research Institute, whose layout they had studied beforehand. They reached the Institute's main doors rapidly, having neutralized every guard encountered along the way.

Seeing the entrance to the Star Sky Scientific Research Institute, the group rejoiced, knowing they had reached their objective. Just as this disorderly throng prepared to storm the doors, a single figure burst out. With one punch, this person struck the leading master, who didn't even have time to scream before he was launched into the air and detonated into a cloud of blood mist.

Everyone was aghast. They recognized the blown-up individual as a peak Houtian Realm master, incredibly strong—many of them were of comparable skill. How powerful must the person who dispatched him in a single move be?

The one who killed their comrade stood up straight. The assembled group now saw a man of utterly ordinary appearance, yet emanating a terrifying aura that made it difficult to draw a breath.

The man surveyed the supposed martial artists before him and spoke coldly, "So, a band of clowns dares to disturb our peace. Utterly audacious, courting death. But since you are here, Star Sky Group extends its hospitality—we will ensure you all remain here."

Yan Hongyu, standing near the rear of the group, felt her eyelids twitch violently upon seeing this man. She sensed his power was immense, reaching the peak of the Xiantian Realm. Without resorting to secret techniques to unleash an upgraded Snow Sea Without Bounds, she knew she stood no chance against him, let alone the other martial artists. Moreover, she didn't recognize this man; he wasn't listed among the known experts of Star Sky Group. When had such a master appeared? Was this Star Sky Group's hidden strength?

The martial artists lacked Yan Hongyu's perception. They failed to grasp the immediate reversal of fortunes, acting with the foolish bravery of the ignorant. After a moment of stunned silence, relying on their numerical superiority, they prepared to force their way into the institute.

"Truly a group of fools, utterly determined to die," the man sneered, then shouted, "Brothers, why the delay? Emerge!"

As his voice faded, several new figures suddenly soared into the air from the perimeter of the martial artists' formation. These figures, too, exploded mid-flight into plumes of bloody mist.

The crowd staggered in shock, realizing that four figures cloaked in black stood silently around them. These four, combined with the first man, formed a perfect encirclement, trapping the martial artists.

Yan Hongyu narrowed her eyes. She perceived that the four newly revealed black-clad individuals possessed power comparable to the first man—all Xiantian Realm peak masters. Their collective strength vastly exceeded that of her martial artists; even all their own Xiantian masters combined couldn't match a single one of these opponents. Where had Star Sky Group found five such terrifying experts, one of whom was a woman?

This realization filled Yan Hongyu with a sense of futility. She had always considered herself a genius among geniuses, unrivaled among the younger generation, leading to her innate arrogance. Now, five individuals clearly superior to her had appeared in one night. How could she not be astonished? Had masters suddenly become as common as cabbage in this world?

The five figures radiated powerful auras that merged into a unified field, pressing down on the martial artists until they could barely breathe. Only then did the martial artists realize the truth: they had walked straight into an ambush.

One of the black-clad figures asked, "Boss Desheng, how shall we handle these pests?"

The first man smiled. "The Boss anticipated this very diversionary tactic. Although most of our security staff was drawn away, the Boss saw through their scheme and stationed us here to see which major devil dared to pull our whiskers. Turns out it's just this insignificant group of minnows. Such little strength, yet they dare to offer themselves up for death—truly overestimating themselves. Still, since they've come, we shall follow the Boss's orders and keep them all here."

These five were members of the "Eye of the Star Sky." Liu Hui, dissatisfied with his own intelligence gathering capabilities, had invested enormous resources to elevate these intelligence operatives to the peak of the Xiantian Realm, preserving them as the group's trump card. However, because the process of forcibly elevating their strength was complex, only these five reached peak Xiantian status, and without further intervention from Liu Hui, they could not advance beyond this point.

Tonight, Liu Hui sensed something amiss. With most security personnel chasing Deng Qingjun, the internal defenses of Star Sky Group were critically weak. To prevent a "luring the tiger from the mountain" strategy, he quietly mobilized these five super-masters to guard the Scientific Research Institute's entrance. His precaution had paid off; enemies had indeed taken advantage of the distraction to attack the institute.

The martial artists, who thought they were launching a sneak attack, realized they had instead stumbled into a prepared trap. Surrounded by five overwhelming experts whose auras struck fear into their hearts, they were paralyzed, unsure what to do. Finally, they turned their gaze toward their strongest asset: Yan Hongyu.

Yan Hongyu hadn't anticipated the situation escalating this way. She had been worried about confronting Black Hero, only to find that Black Hero wasn't even needed; these five super-masters alone were sufficient to eliminate her entire force.

Yan Hongyu's mind raced through countless possibilities, yet given the vast disparity in power between the two sides, no trickery stood a chance of succeeding. Though inherently proud, she was not ignorant of reality. Having accepted this, she merely shouted, "Scatter and run!" and swiftly fled toward the edge of Starry Sky Group, pulling the two elders behind her.

The martial artists, after a moment of stunned hesitation, saw that their own supreme experts had fled. Like dogs who have lost their master, they scattered in panic, perfectly illustrating their nature as mere loose sand.

Desheng waved his hand, and the four men in black swiftly advanced, intercepting several fleeing martial arts masters. With powerful strikes and kicks, they quickly eliminated these masters, then continued the pursuit of the others scattering in panic. The four men in black moved with blinding speed, soon wiping out all the fleeing enemies, even those at the Xiantian realm. Meanwhile, Desheng stood with his hands clasped behind his back at the entrance of the Starry Sky Science Research Institute, ready to guard against any infiltration by other foes.

Once the four men in black had dealt with all the martial artists, they converged. Desheng stated, "The woman dressed entirely in white and the two old men escaped. Ah Xia, you remain here. The three of you will pursue them; you must eliminate them all. We must set an example for the world: anyone who dares to invade our Starry Sky Group will never escape our relentless pursuit."

Thus, Ah Xia, the only woman among the men in black, stayed behind. She guarded the main gate of the Starry Sky Science Research Institute alongside Desheng, while the other three men in black sped off in the direction Yan Hongyu had fled.

Yan Hongyu and the two elders ran with desperate speed, finally reaching the high perimeter wall of the Starry Sky Group. As they leaped onto the wall and prepared to jump down, the structure suddenly buckled and collapsed. Caught completely off guard, their bodies tumbled down with the falling masonry, instantly covered in dust and looking utterly disheveled. It turned out the three men in black had finally caught up. Seeing Yan Hongyu on the verge of escaping the Starry Sky Group, they unleashed a ranged attack, blasting down the wall to keep them trapped.

Yan Hongyu stood up, realizing she and the two elders were now encircled by the three men in black. The three pursuers formed a tight triangular siege, trapping the trio in the center. The men in black watched them with expressions of cruel amusement, regarding them as prey that could not escape.

Yan Hongyu brushed the dust from her clothes and spoke coldly, "Uncle Qian, Uncle Wu, lend me your strength."

Immediately, resolute expressions dawned on the faces of Uncle Qian and Uncle Wu. They separated and stood behind Yan Hongyu, preparing to place their arms upon her shoulders.

However, the three men in black maintaining the siege were not so foolish. The situation made it clear that the woman in white was about to deploy some mysterious, unknown ultimate technique. Though confident in their own strength and unafraid of any single attack, their rigorous training dictated that they must not grant the enemy any opportunity; history was replete with tales of downfall due to carelessness.

Thus, two of the men in black stepped forward, extending their arms to seize Uncle Qian and Uncle Wu. The two elders, immersed in channeling their secret art, offered no resistance and were instantly clutched by the necks. The two pursuers hoisted Uncle Qian and Uncle Wu high into the air, applied force, snapped their necks, and tossed their corpses onto the ground.

The three men in black then moved to surround Yan Hongyu. Her eyes held no trace of emotion as an icy aura began to radiate from her body, and snowflakes started to materialize in the air.

"Heh, a mere side path technique, yet you dare cause trouble at our Starry Sky Group," one of the men in black sneered, moving to strike Yan Hongyu down.

From the woods outside the high wall of the Starry Sky Group, a light chuckle suddenly rang out: "Truly lacking in insight. Who said this was a side path? Let me show you the true might of my Yan family's Boundless Snow Sea!"

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～ Thanks to the reader 'Great Han Dynasty Surname LIU' for the donation. Furthermore, a reader named 'PainandSorrow' submitted five negative review votes. While Qian Yu Chu Hai doesn't entirely grasp the reasoning, casting votes is your prerogative, so I shall say no more on the matter. There was a system malfunction today; the author's zone was inaccessible, and apparently, this was a widespread issue, almost preventing me from uploading this new chapter. Fortunately, the issue is now resolved. Enough idle talk; here is the seven-thousand-word offering. V